Global Poker Index: McDonald Holds Top Spot and Leah Climbs to No. 3

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player’s results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Here’s a look at the rankings as of January 13, 2016.

GPI Top 10 Canadians

Canadian Rank

Global Rank

Player

Total Score

1

19

Mike McDonald

3,354.56

2

22

Jonathan Duhamel

3,312.95

3

25

Mike Leah

3,230.90

4

26

Sam Greenwood

3,226.11

5

40

Daniel Dvoress

2,951.78

6

65

Sam Chartier

2,607.05

7

67

Daniel Negreanu

2,563.49

8

74

Andrew Chen

2,522.72

9

84

Ami Barer

2,450.42

10

116

Sorel Mizzi

2,253.86

In Week 2 of 2016, Mike McDonald continues to hold the top spot just above Jonathan Duhamel, but Mike Leah has hopped over Sam Greenwood to take the third spot on Team Canada. Leah picked up points at PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) where he won Event #12 for $100,000, came 20th in the Latin America Poker Tour Main Event, and finished fourth in Event #37.

The only other change was Andrew Chen tumbling two spots due to older results degrading in value, giving Sam Chartier and Daniel Negreanu the advantage of one rung higher on the ladder.

GPI Player of the Year

Once more we’re sitting tight here for the first few weeks of the year as players start collecting results to help spark the 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race and see who jumps out in front in the effort to succeed 2015 GPI POY Byron Kaverman.

GPI 300 Top 10

Rank

Player

GPI Score

Change

1

Steve O’Dwyer

4,182.78

+1

2

Nick Petrangelo

4,030.13

+2

3

Byron Kaverman

4,022.13

-2

4

Anthony Zinno

3,953.59

-1

5

Jason Mercier

3,895.52

+1

6

Bryn Kenney

3,861.26

+2

7

Fedor Holz

3,840.23

-2

8

David Peters

3,714.78

+2

9

Kevin MacPhee

3,659.44

-2

10

Martin Finger

3,634.50

-1

We knew after a week’s worth of events at the 2016 PCA in the Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas — with all of the GPI’s top-ranked players involved — there would be some activity at the top this week.

Interestingly, the top 10 players all remain the same from a week ago, although each moved up or down one or two spots. The most notable move comes at the top, of course, with Steve O’Dwyer at long last assuming the title of the world’s top-ranked tournament player for the first time in his career.

An almost-permanent fixture near the top of the GPI rankings since their introduction in 2011, O’Dwyer finally moves up to No. 1 after kicking off 2016 in familiar fashion, winning the $50,000 Single-Day High Roller to start the festival, then adding a cash in the Main Event as well.

Since mid-2011, O’Dwyer has spent over 100 weeks inside the top 10, usually not falling far from the top group during the time he hasn’t been ranked that highly. O’Dwyer becomes the 12th player in the history of the GPI to be ranked No. 1, ending Kaverman’s 14-week reign at the top.

Nick Petrangelo, who also cashed in that same $50K Single-Day High Roller (finishing eighth), also hits a career-high by moving up to No. 2, while $100K Super High Roller winner Bryn Kenney moved up this week from No. 8 to No. 6.

Welcome to the GPI Top 300

Rank

Player

Total Score

162

Mike Gorodinsky

1,994.88

202

Daniel Weinman

1,850.83

234

Timothy Adams

1,779.45

252

Leo Fernandez

1,746.38

260

Chad Eveslage

1,704.03

283

Joe Ebanks

1,653.41

286

Charlie Carrel

1,650.95

288

Ben Heath

1,648.49

290

Simeon Naydenov

1,638.47

291

Leon Hsu

1,636.95

292

Jason Koon

1,635.98

298

David Tuthill

1,617.21

299

Ryan Van Sanford

1,612.44

Thirteen players have jumped up into the newest GPI top 300 rankings, most of whom did so on the strength of their performances at the PCA over the last week.

The new Canadian in the ranks is Timothy Adams in No. 234 after he finished 11th in the $50,000 High Roller at PCA.

Mike Gorodinsky is the highest-ranked of this group. He moved up from No. 324 to No. 162 after final-tabling two side events at the PCA, including winning a $5,300 NLH 8-Handed Turbo. A 21st-place showing by Daniel Weinman in the LAPT Bahamas Main Event won by Georgios Sitoropoulos helped Weinman jump back up into the rankings as well, going from No. 342 to No. 202.

Biggest Gains

Rank

Player

Total GPI Score

Change

162

Mike Gorodinsky

1,994.88

+162

291

Leon Hsu

1,636.95

+154

202

Daniel Weinman

1,850.83

+140

252

Leo Fernandez

1,746.38

+112

260

Chad Eveslage

1,704.03

+96

Gorodinsky and Weinman were among the biggest gainers for the week as well among those in the GPI top 300. Leon Hsu also made a big jump this week from No. 445 to No. 291 after picking up a cash in the 2016 Macau Millions, thereby making his career debut inside the GPI top 300.

Biggest Drops

Rank

Player

Total GPI Score

Change

256

Justin Young

1,738.05

-82

300

Andrey Shatilov

1,611.15

-63

271

Arie Ori Miller

1,675.20

-58

255

Dietrich Fast

1,740.68

-58

221

Shyam Srinivasan

1,811.04

-57

Finally, looking at those who fell the furthest yet remained inside the top 300 this week, Justin Young fell the most after going from No. 174 to No. 256, while Andrey Shatilov just barely stayed on the list after falling from No. 237 to No. 300.

Toronto, Ontario's Shyam Srinivasan also lost 57 spots due to the older results losing value, especially last year's 10th-place finish in the PCA Main Event.

What to Expect Next Week

There are still a few results left to be determined in the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, including both the $5,300 Main Event and the $25,000 High Roller. Meanwhile the focus is already starting to turn toward Melbourne as the 2016 Aussie Millions is already underway.

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